After Sesame Street: What’s Next for Children’s TV?

FIFTY YEARS AGO, A REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH to children’s television was born when Joan Ganz Cooney, the creator of Sesame Street, dared to think that television could be used for educational purposes, and that by doing so, she could move the needle for all children. For the first time, educational researchers, writers and producers gathered together to develop the series—which mixed fantasy and reality along with a racially diverse cast and an endearing array of puppets. From its first episode in November 1969, Sesame Street—and its iconic theme song—became an instant sensation.

Around the same time, another visionary producer was asking different questions about the power of television to change children’s lives..